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shotgun definition

shot·gun (s̸hät′gun′)

noun

  1. a smoothbore gun, usually used for firing a charge of shot at short range, as in hunting small game
  2. Football an offensive formation, esp. for passing, in which the quarterback takes the snap while standing several yards behind the line of scrimmage
    often shotgun formation

transitive verb, intransitive verb

to shoot, force, or threaten with a shotgun

adjective

  1. done or made under duress
  2. with no fixed direction or target
  3. designating a long, narrow house, apartment, etc. with rooms arranged one behind the other
shotgun Idioms

ride shotgun

  1. Historical in the W U.S., to go along as an armed guard, esp. with the driver of a stagecoach
  2. to accompany for protection, as in the front seat of a motor vehicle

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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